Daily Reflections - April 12,2013

THE BOY WITH FIVE LOAVES

AND TWO FISH

 

The center of today’s Gospel is Jesus who, out of compassion, miraculously feeds a big crowd, foreshadowing the miracle of the Eucharist. But I am intrigued by two persons other than Jesus: the Apostle Andrew and the nameless boy who provides the loaves for the miracle.

Andrew saw the problem and did not give up like Philip. He knew that, for Jesus, nothing was impossible and so he brings the boy to his Master. In seemingly hopeless situations, we often give up and say, “Impossible!” But in God’s dictionary, the word “impossible” cannot be found. “All is possible for Him who believes,” Jesus once said. We should never get discouraged when we face a very difficult moment in life. There is One in whose hands little can become much, and the impossible becomes possible.

And there is the little boy. The five barley loaves (the cheapest bread, eaten by the poor) and two sardines he had were, probably, what his mother had given him as food for the whole day. Or was he a little vendor who tried to sell the few loaves and earn a little from it? We don’t know. But, when asked by Andrew to surrender these loaves to the Teacher, he generously gave them. I wish we could know who this boy was and what happened to him later. Legends exist about the future of the boy but we better stick to what the inspired text says. He did not have much to offer, but his generosity made the great miracle possible.

This boy makes us realize a profound truth. We may feel we are unimportant, but we are never so unimportant that we cannot contribute our little talents for the growth of the Kingdom of God. After all, the little we might have will be multiplied if offered to the Lord for His purpose. I know of a poor old lady who prays every free minute for the Pope, for the Church, for people in trouble. I am convinced she contributes more to the Church than if she would donate millions of pesos. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you look more on the amount you give than on the generosity with which you give?

 

Lord, thank You for introducing to me the boy with the loaves. I realize that it is not the amount I give that counts but the generosity of my giving.